The electronics in an automobile are typically divided into different domains, such as the power train domain, the chassis domain, the body/comfort domain, the driver assistance domain, and the human-machine interface (HMI) domain. Traditionally, each of these domains contained a set of control units and sensors that operated independently from the control units and sensors of the other domains. Today, there is a lot more interaction between the domains in support of new, advanced features, such as lane-departure warning and collision avoidance. On top of the increased inter-domain interaction, these new, advanced features have further led to an increase in the number of control units and sensors within each domain and the sophistication of these units in terms of the amount of data they process and the speed at which they operate.
The in-vehicle network infrastructure, used to support communications within and between these domains, has suffered as a result of the increased electronic complexity. The amount of cabling alone used by conventional in-vehicle network infrastructures has caused the car cable assembly to become not only one of the highest cost components in the car (often behind only the engine and chassis), but also one of the heaviest, which negatively effects fuel economy. Also, to support different latency and bandwidth requirements of the various control systems and sensors, the conventional in-vehicle network infrastructure has evolved into a heterogeneous network of various communications networks and protocols, such as the Local Interconnect Network (LIN), FlexRay, Controller Area Network (CAN), Low-Voltage Differential Signaling (LVDS), and the Media Oriented Systems Transport (MOST) protocol. This network heterogeneity complicates communications between domains by requiring gateways to effectuate such exchanges.
To provide further context, FIG. 1 illustrates an example overview of a conventional in-vehicle network 100. As shown in FIG. 1, conventional in-vehicle network 100 is divided among several different domains, including a power train domain, an HMI domain, a body/comfort domain, a chassis domain, and a driver assistance domain. The power train domain includes electronic controllers and sensors that are active in the forward and backward movement of the vehicle, including electronic controllers and sensors associated with the operation of the engine, transmission, and shafts. The chassis domain includes electronic controllers and sensors that relate to the framework of the automobile and the movement/position of the wheels. For example, the chassis domain can include electronic controllers and sensors that support steering, braking, and suspension. The body/comfort domain includes electronic controllers and sensors for such things as door locks, climate control, and seat control. The HMI domain includes electronics that provide for information exchange between the automobile's electronics and the driver/passengers. For example, the HMI domain includes video systems, phone systems, and infotainment systems. Finally, the driver assistance domain includes electronic controllers and sensors that aid the driver in driving the automobile. The electronic controllers and sensors in the driver assistance domain relate to such systems as cruise control, lane departure warning, and collision avoidance.
As mentioned above, because of the different requirements of each domain, such as latency and bandwidth requirements, the domains often use different communication protocols. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the power train domain uses a CAN based network 102, the HMI domain uses a LVDS/MOST based network 104, the body/comfort domain uses a LIN based network 106, and the chassis domain uses a FlexRay based network 108. This network heterogeneity requires each domain to have a separate gateway 110-118, as further shown in FIG. 1, to allow for communications between the domains over a backbone network.
The present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawing in which an element first appears is typically indicated by the leftmost digit(s) in the corresponding reference number.